Bytemobile, a provider of mobile internet services for wireless network operators, has revealed an enhancement to its Media Fidelity suite of applications which now offers multimedia optimisation for the Apple iPhone and Google Android mobile devices.
The functionality of the new clientless optimisation supports video codecs such as MPEG-4 and H.264 and the popular MP4 container. The application is designed to help operators cope with accelerating traffic growth as a result of video consumption on high-end smartphones.
According to analysis of data traffic across the 3G networks of Bytemobile’s larger customers, the Apple iPhone generates more than 50% of the total traffic on the network – with video accounting for approximately 40% of that figure.
The company said that the media optimisation applications deployed on its Unison Mobile Internet Platform act as a transparent video proxy to alleviate network congestion. These server-based applications require no client software and are interoperable across all standard media players. This allows operators to offer their customers an optimised multimedia experience and increase their network’s available bandwidth to service additional users and traffic.
Bytemobile’s media optimisation applications also provide operators with flexible control of their network resources. According to the company, video reduction capabilities of these applications can be strategically applied to subscribers based on rate plan, usage profile, video source, device, or any other identifying parameters. As a result, the applications help operators control network abuse and create new revenue opportunities for customised data services and intelligent pricing plans.
Joel Brand, vice president of Product Management at Bytemobile, said: “The success of the iPhone has proven to be a double-edged sword for operators. While the device causes users to pay a premium for data services, the resulting traffic puts an immense strain on the network.
“Now that we’re seeing the beginning of the end of iPhone exclusivity among a select few operators, we will also see increasing network congestion and associated pressure on profitability. By implementing data reduction solutions – in particular, media optimisation – operators can continue to service new data subscriptions without capital-intensive investments in capacity expansion.”
